VICTORIA, Texas – A federal jury in Victoria has returned guilty verdicts on all counts as charged related to the 2017 burning of the local mosque.
Marq Vincent Perez, 26, of Victoria, was found responsible for a hate crime in the burning of the Victoria Islamic Center on January 28, 2017, and for use of a fire to commit a felony. In addition, the jury found he possessed an unregistered destructive device for an incident that occurred on January 15, 2017.
The jury heard from a total of 19 government witnesses, including law enforcement officers, experts, and others who testified about communications with Perez, one of whom detailed how Perez called Muslims ‘towelheads.’ An FBI agent took the stand and described hate-filled messages found on Perez’s Facebook account.
Testimony in court detailed how Perez had planned the event and talked about how he had done ‘recon’ of the mosque in the days leading up to the fire. A witness who was with Perez on the night of the fire described how excited Perez was upon seeing the mosque in flames, explaining that he was ‘jumping up and down like a little kid.’
The defense attempted to shift the blame to a juvenile cooperator and tried to challenge the validity of the evidence and expert testimony. He also tried to establish an alibi. The jury was not convinced of any of the claims and found him guilty on all counts as charged following the five-day trial and approximately three hours of deliberation.
Perez faces up to 20 years in federal prison for the hate crime and up to 10 years for possessing an unregistered destructive device. For use of a fire to commit a felony, the penalty is a consecutive and mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison. All of the counts also carry a potential $250,000 fine.
Marq Vincent Perez has been in custody pending sentencing, which has been set for October 2, 2018.
Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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